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Every year, millions of high school students are fed this line: “Hey, you should take Advanced Placement (AP) classes! They’re way harder, but if you do well on the test at the end, you’ll get free college credit!”

It sounds like a great deal. But is it actually true?

Actually, Advanced Placement (AP) classes are the least dependable way for students to earn college credit in high school.

Shockingly, fewer than half the students who take AP classes actually end up getting the low-cost college credit they were promised.

This Atlantic article goes so far as to tell parents bluntly, “AP classes are a scam” and “AP students are being suckered.”

The well-respected Atlantic said that? Wow.

To learn which early college option tends to be far better than AP, read on.

A Simple Way to Make Sure It Doesn't

Let me guess what you just imagined. You pictured him absorbed in his college lecture. You pictured him paying close attention to every word the professor is saying. You pictured him diligently filling page after page with carefully organized notes.

You may have just imagined wrong.

The typical college student squanders one-fifth of his class time doing this.

Texting. Emailing. Checking Facebook. Surfing the web. Playing games on a phone, tablet, or laptop.

A 2015 University of Nebraska-Lincoln study of 675 college students across 26 states reveals that nine out of ten students report that texting is “their main diversion during class.”

About 75% of students polled admitted to emailing or checking the time on their phones. 70% reported scrolling through Facebook and other social media during the time they were supposed to be learning. Nearly half surfed the web during class, and one in 10 spent class time playing games.

What’s the cost to parents? Let’s do the math.

Let’s say your son attends a private university that charges $5,880 for a 3-credit course. If your son texts, emails, checks social media, surfs the web, or plays games during just one-fifth of his class time, which is a lowball estimate, that diversion will end up costing your family $1,176 for each class he takes. If your son takes 18 credits per term during every term other than his first one on campus — as I advise students to do in order to graduate faster — this seemingly innocuous habit will cost your family $7,056 per term. $28,000 or more over the course of an entire four-year college career.

Not to mention the cost to your son when that knowledge base isn’t available to him when he tries to enter the workforce later.

It’s no wonder today’s college students are having trouble getting real jobs after college.

Ideal for Families With MIDDLE SCHOOLERS

Your kid’s in 6th, 7th, or 8th grade? It’s time to set him or her free to feel jazzed and excited about college. Plus — as a parent– learn 8 things you can do right now to keep that kid’s future college costs low.

You’d love for your college-bound teen to get more scholarships, but you worry that his GPA just isn’t high enough. Am I right? Well, worry no more.

Good news. There are thousands of college scholarships available to students with GPAs as low as 2.50.

I’ll give you tips for finding more scholarships to apply for at the end of this post.

The question for today is: Besides high grades, what can your college-bound teen do to make himself or herself a powerful, attention-getting applicant who will get more scholarships than most other people?

The last thing you want to do is raise a child who’s just a dull drone, pouring out memorized facts as though facts have the power to save the world. You want to raise a child who will be valued in a future workplace for being creative, confident, and innovative.

But how can you build creative, confident, innovative ability into your child (and yourself!) right now?

Sanders says that it’s a myth that great innovations come from lone wolf inventors who have sudden “eureka moments” strike like lightening from the sky and change the world. “We want to be heroes,” Sanders says, “so that’s how we tell the story.” Actually, though, Sanders says, true genius creativity comes from another place altogether. It comes from collaboration.

2. Explain to your kid the tremendous value of collaboration.

It can be liberating to a 12 -22 year old to realize: “Hey, I don’t have to have all the answers! It’s OK if I have one piece of the puzzle and someone else has another piece of the puzzle. It’s even OK if 20 other people are also contributing pieces of the puzzle. We can work together, and in doing so accomplish something bigger than I could ever do on my own.”

As Sanders says: “Little ideas combine with other little ideas, and these improve into game-changing ideas.”

This realization – that it’s OK to have only one piece of the puzzle – helps kids to relax. It relieves pressure and anxiety that can actually stand in the way of creativity and innovation.

Read This When Your Kid's in Middle School.

This post is a scary one. But read all the way down to the red print at the bottom and I’ll give you a boatload of hope about college.

1. “If you don’t get into a good college, you won’t be able to get a good job when you graduate.”

This statement is completely and utterly false. Let’s all be honest for just a minute. Don’t you know people who went to so-called “bad colleges” and they have great jobs? Let’s get even more honest. Don’t you actually know many, many, many people who went to so-called “bad colleges” and they have great jobs? Why do we purposely scare kids with this lie?

2. “You, of course, shouldn’t even consider technical school.”

The bias against technical school gets communicated to kids from the age of 12 on up in a thousand insidious ways.

The subtle message kids hear is: “Tech school is for kids who aren’t as smart as you.” “Tech school is for kids who can’t get into real college.” “We won’t even show you a catalog of job training programs available at a technical school. We don’t care if tech school would empower you to make really great money after only two years of training. We won’t even suggest the possibility of going to technical school first and then perhaps four-year college after that. You’re smart and you come from a good family — that automatically means four-year college or university for you.”

(To see my post on “Could Your Kid End Up Wealthier and Happier by Not Going to College?” click here.)

3. “Of course you’re going to take out $40,000 in student loans to go to college. Don’t worry, you’ll easily be able to pay those loans back with the excellent job you’ll get after you graduate.”

The dad waited in a long line to get to shake my hand. He was beaming.

“We squeezed into a packed high school auditorium to hear you speak about scholarships last year,” he told me. “You inspired my son to go home and apply for 20 scholarships he thought he’d never get. He won eight of them, and now has over $20,000 extra to help pay his college bills. I just wanted to say thanks.”

I beamed back at him. Nothing excites and energizes me like seeing students achieve things they thought they never could. And when they rake in the scholarship money? That’s the best feeling ever.

Winning college scholarships is only one very small piece of the puzzle when it comes to getting kids through college debt free. In all honesty, other strategies that I provide to parents can net even greater return for families.

If you want to maximize scholarships, though — here are just a fraction of the scholarship strategies I recommend for students and parents.

Live In Minnesota? A Large Part of This Might Be Free For You.

In 2015 I wrote about how some students could end up wealthier and happier by not going to four-year college after high school. It was a life-changing post for many. If you missed it, be sure to read it here.

But what about this great idea? Your kid could go to community or technical school in a fantastic, in-demand career field for two years and gain excellent, immediately-employable job skills . . . and then start work on a bachelors degree in a related field at age 20.

“Wait, a minute . . .” I can hear you objecting. “Who wants to go to college for six straight years, and not get finished until age 24? The credits my kid would earn in technical school probably wouldn’t transfer to a four-year college, right?”

You’re right, college credits don’t generally transfer from technical schools to 4-year bachelors degree programs. But imagine this. What if your 18-year-old teen had already completed two full years of bachelors degree college credit in high school at state expense — as I explain in this webinar? That teen could complete two years of technical school between age 18 and age 20, and then finish up a bachelors degree between the ages of 20 and 22.

But wait — the news gets even better!

If your child graduated from a Minnesota high school in 2016, the very valuable technical school education I’m talking about may be FREE for him or her — even if your family income is well above average.

Wow!

If you’re going to help your child access this benefit, though, there are several things you need to know right now.

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What others are saying …

"We only got around to doing a fraction of what Jeannie tells people to do, and we saved well over $50,000 on college costs. Our daughter earned a four year degree from an excellent private university at age 20, and she's now in California happily working her dream job at Disney. Get to one of Jeannie's live classes if you can. Buy a plane ticket if you have to!"
-- Liz and Tim Weatherhead, parents, Bloomington, MN

"Students who go through college without career direction are, as Jeannie Burlowski says: 'like archers who pull the arrow back on the bowstring, shoot, and then years later look around for the target.' Jeannie's resources help students to take aim early and fire a sure shot. Whether that's at medical school, or at some other worthy endeavor."
-- Dr. Paul Amble, M.D.
Assistant Clinical Professor, Yale School of Medicine
Chief Forensic Psychiatrist for the State of Connecticut

"Jeannie Burlowski has been instrumental in helping me to reach some of my highest academic goals."
-- Jordan Denitz, Phi Beta Kappa, Magna Cum Laude, National Society of Collegiate Scholars, University of California, San Diego Greek Scholar of the Year

"Just read a single tip on JeannieBurlowski.com and immediately made an important change on our daughter's FAFSA form that could save us tons. Thank you Jeannie!"
-- Amy Lively, author of The Neighborhood Cafe theneighborhoodcafe.net

"Jeannie didn't just help me get into my favorite college, she helped me figure out what I actually want from college. I attribute my top-notch scholarship, my new straight-A study skills, and my future aspirations to two afternoons I spent with Jeannie. If you want a great future, start with Jeannie Burlowski."
-- BradWalton, Fort Collins, Colorado

"Hi Jeannie! I am completely thrilled and excited with everything you say and do. I just made a 3 ring binder and downloaded every single grade level task for college prep, in addition to your blog articles. I am extremely passionate and committed to getting (our daughter) through college with the least amount of debt possible. I just wanted to say 'thank you' for this valuable information and how much I appreciate you as a college curator. You are the BEST and I look forward to your books when they are released."
-- Parent

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About

I am a full-time academic strategist, conference speaker, and author of the book LAUNCH: How to Get Your Kids Through College Debt-Free and Into Jobs They Love Afterward.

My writing and speaking provide parents a clear, step-by-step checklist so they can set their kids up to succeed brilliantly in college, graduate debt-free, and move directly into careers they excel at and love.

For more than 20 years, I've helped students apply to highly competitive law, medical, business, and grad schools. I still do that from my website GetIntoMedSchool.com.

I am married, and my husband and I have a son and a daughter. We live in Minneapolis.

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Disclaimer

Note: Information provided by Jeannie Burlowski and JeannieBurlowski.com is for general informational purposes only. Because consultants cannot control student grades, test scores, individual family situations, or how well or how thoroughly parents follow the suggestions offered in these pages, no representation, warranty, or guarantee can be made and no liability is assumed regarding any individual’s ability to graduate college debt free or succeed in career or in life. Seek the advice and counsel of a properly licensed CPA, Certified Financial Planner, or other licensed professional for specific guidance on how to apply these principles to your family’s individual financial situation.

About Me

I am a full-time academic strategist, conference speaker, and author of the book LAUNCH: How to Get Your Kids Through College Debt-Free and Into Jobs They Love Afterward.

My writing and speaking provide parents a clear, step-by-step checklist so they can set their kids up to succeed brilliantly in college, graduate debt-free, and move directly into careers they excel at and love.

For more than 20 years, I've helped students apply to highly competitive law, medical, business, and grad schools. I still do that from my website GetIntoMedSchool.com.

I am married, and my husband and I have a son and a daughter. We live in Minneapolis.